Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has affirmed that Vietnam always wants to further strengthen cooperation with Indonesia.

FM Minh made the remark at a ceremony to mark Indonesia’s 68th National Day (August 17), which was hosted by the Indonesian Embassy in Vietnam in Hanoi on August 20.

He congratulated the people of Indonesia on their achievements during nearly seven decades of national construction and development.

The diplomat said he was delighted with the fine development of the two countries’ relations in many fields, including politics, economics, trade, investment, education, security and defence.

He also expressed his belief that the traditional friendship and strategic partnership between Vietnam and Indonesia will be incessantly consolidated and developed more strongly.

Speaking at the ceremony, Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Mayerfas said that celebrating the National Day is a chance for Indonesia’s people to be more proud of the achievements they have gained and the country’s development.

He expressed his thanks to the Vietnamese Government and people for their support and cooperation with Indonesia over the past time.

The same day, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and the Vietnam–Indonesia Friendship Association in Ho Chi Minh City held a ceremony to celebrate Indonesia’s 68th National Day in the city.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Vietnam-Indonesia Friendship Association in HCM City Le Ton Thanh highlighted the incessant development of the two countries’ traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation.

In 2012, two-way trade turnover surpassed 4.6 billion USD and is heading towards 5 billion USD by 2015 and 10 billion USD by 2018, he added.

For his part, Indonesian Acting Consul General in HCM City Dalton Sembiring said that the countries share a strong historical and present-day connection.

In the last decade, bilateral cooperation has been fostered in numerous areas, notably economics, trade, investment and tourism.

The Indonesian Government granted 19 Dharmasiswa scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in the island country in the 2013-2014 academic year, the diplomat noted.-VNA